Here we are again. Kicking off the year with a Family and Friends mixed dozen. After a Christmas and New Year blowout, this pack has to be stellar value, and at more than 20% off, this delivers some of the most incredible value drinking in a single pack that we offer all year.

For those that may be new here, this pack is always a 50/50 combo of wine from our direct import range, along with a collection of our favourite home-grown, winemaking legends that you need to know about, all collated into one super dozen.

So, what does that mean? After more than 25+ years in the game, we have forged strong relationships with the producers we import into Australia and consider them not just friends but family. Closer to home, we have forged similar relationships with many of Australia's greatest producers as well as many of the country's rising stars and young guns of wine. They are the friends and family we hold the dearest in our vinous hearts.

We like to keep this seasonally relevant too, which means plenty of crispy and crunchy whites, a must-have pink and juicy, light on their feet reds just perfect for summer sipping, the beach, or the BBQ. This year it includes a brilliant selection from Australia, the USA, France, Italy and New Zealand.

Enjoy!

THE FAMILY

What makes this estate so great is the love, care, and attention that brother and sister team of Matteo and Simona bring to the operation. The wines are shockingly inexpensive given the very consistent quality they manage to nock out year-in, year-out. The two agonise over every little detail to make sure they extract the absolute best from this beautiful estate nestled under the hills of the stunning township of San Gimignano.

The 100% vernaccia is from 35+ year old vines, hand-harvested with soft pressing and fermentation and ageing taking place in stainless steel tanks. A bit of old vine material, high altitude, and low yields with gentle handling in the winery produce an incredibly vibrant vernaccia with a ton of energy. This year there is a lovely tension wound into the plush fruit that gives it a nice twang with a pleasant bitter phenolic grip that makes it a perfect luncheon wine

Apple, pear and some light florals sprinkled in. A little salty edge, too. Clean and juicy with some nice flesh too, leading with lush white tree fruits. Punchy and with everything in the right spot

Hobo Wine Camp is the brainchild of Kenny Likitprakong created in 2011 with the idea to showcase the quality and diversity of Sonoma’s wine scene. Working closely with top growers often from lesser-known vineyards he produces some of the most approachable, accessible and in terms of California, stupidly affordable wine. A self-confessed surf bum, and avid skateboarder he studied winemaking at UC Davis (mainly for the surfing) and later cut his teeth working and traveling from place to place, winery to winery throughout Sonoma and abroad –  the ‘Hobo’ moniker was born. 

The 2022 is 42% Tocai Friulano from Mendocino, 18% Riesling from Arroyo Seco, 17% Verdelho from Suisun Valley, 15% Albariño from Borden Ranch, and 8% Sauvignon Blanc from Potter Valley.

What a blend. This has it all too, some pretty white florals to start that gently dissapate to reveal nashi pear, mandarin, citrus peel and some light tropical hints of guava and goosberry but ever so lightly and in perfect harmony. Mid-weight feel here with pleny of zippy freshness from the riesling but stacked with a melange of citrus and tree fruits. A little textural, a little plush and a whole lot of flavour. 

Burgundy-trained Stéphane Ogier is a bit of a northern Rhône wunderkind. JANCIS ROBINSON MW 

The ever-restless Stéphane Ogier is making some of the finest wines in the entire Rhône valley, the north as well as the south. JOSH RAYNOLDS

Quartyz minerals spliced with apricot and white peach. Hints of oragnge peel, mandarine along with almond and white spices. The palate is open and fleshy with apricot leading the charge and a generous mix of citrus fruits following up. Plenty of fruit with a lick of pithy lemon rind giving the wine a little snap while a salty, mineral streak closes this little gem out. Ripe peach, apricot, honeyed white flowers, and some mineral notes. A medium-bodied, round, fleshy, nicely textured, balanced white that will have lots of flexibility on the dinner table. 

Stephane's passion and dedication to his craft have been a formidable driving force for the domaine and today he has without a doubt cemented himself firmly into the top echelons of the wine-making world. He has put huge investments in time and capital which has seen the already excellent quality improve even further while the winemaking, nuanced and subtle, has set itself apart from many in the region.

The 2024 Chardonnay is pure and fine, with white peach melba, pineapple husk, layers of white pepper and green apple. This is silky and clean, with a creamy nuttiness on the mid-palate that provides textural complexity and width. It's chalky and very good. This wine features grapes from the single vineyards that don't make it into those final wines, with more textural pressings and skin contact, giving texture. No new oak was used, and there was only partial malolactic fermentation. This was bottled unfined. 13.5% alcohol, sealed under screw cap. ERIN LARKIN, The Wine Advocate

These Bilancia Chardonnay wines are quite something. GARY WALSH, The Wine Front

Bilancia: The cult winery in search of perfect balance. Founded in 1997 in Hawke’s Bay, Bilancia has been a labour of love for winemaking couple Lorraine Leheny and Warren Gibson. ANNE KREBIEHL MW

Watchout for Warren and Lorraine's latest selection of chardonnay. They were already slaying it with the Syrah and now this. We love it! With a bunch of new single sites brought into the fold, the estate chard has never been better as its boulstered by fruit that doesn't quite make the cut for the single releases. This is the best version yet and its likely that trend will continue on for the forseeable future.

From low-density pergola vineyards planted in the 1970s in the San Vito frazione, towards the southern tip of the Negrar valley, Gabriele and Miriam Dalcanale’s regular Classico is a vibrant and juicy example of the simpler style of Valpolicella. Following a brief maceration on the skins, the must is fermented in truncated concrete tanks before about 10% of oak-aged wine from the previous vintage is added to the blend. The intention here is to make the wine immediately accessible and enhance the classic spicy notes of the Corvina grape.

Michael Garner: Clean, fresh, forward red fruit aromas with spicy notes. Light but juicy palate with crunchy fresh fruit flavours. Delicious. A classic example.

Andrea Briccarello: An array of red fruits, cherry liqueur and summer fruit pudding. Smoky, savoury hints. Long and complex with plenty of vibrant, juicy freshness.

Jason Millar: Light, with fresh strawberry, redcurrant and cranberry. Some leafiness and cleansing acidity. Lovely purity. Transparent and honest. Serve chilled with cold cuts. 
(95) DECANTER

Lucien Lardy has been producing high-quality but still relatively unknown wines for some time that consistently deliver exceptional value… While I wish these wines attracted more attention in the US, they have solidified a loyal insider following in Europe, especially in France, and are among those that I look for at savvy restaurants or from small, attentive cavistes. JOSH RAYNOLDS, vinous.com 

Wow! This just burst from the glass with cranberry, rasberry and sour cherry fruit laced with violet and clove spice while an undertow of savoury complexity, charry earthy notes and underbrush lend intrigue and interest. The palate is lithe and fresh on entry with sweet and sour plum, red and black cherry taking the lead as they are slowly taken over by the scents of sous bois and earthy minerality. Such a great wine that is at once easy-going and immensely enjoyable, backed by a subtle, earthy complexity. He nailed it again this year. 

The Beaujolais-villages comes from vines planted in 1951 that sits right on the edge of Fleurie . Here Lucien uses concrete tank only to preserve freshness. This year looks to be another fantastic bottling with vibrancy and joie de vivre in equal parts. It is also, once again, ludicrous value given the quality.

THE FRIENDS

Mutual Promise comes from the Latin Compr Missum or compromise.  The compromise being that Evan doesn't farm the fruit and nor does he have full control over the creative process as he makes the wines with friends in their Beechworth wineries. The Mutual Promise, in essence being that he trusts in others to create as he would with the aim of quality at the forefront. The wines champion some of Evan Milne's favourite varieties sourced from the  King and Alpine Valleys in Victoria's spectacular North East. Varietal and regional purity is the heart of these wines. 

Garganega from the Koombahla vineyard in North East Victoria's King Valley.  Pressed directly to barrel with full solids for fermention providing a ripe and generous expression of the variety. White flower aromatics with grass, elderflower, and riper tropical fruits, a saline energy keeps the wine in check. Think Calvarino rather than Classico. 

A ripper summer drop here that delivers lush fruit and zingy freshness in equal parts. Authentic yet with an Aussie appeal and charm that you don't see at this level too often, and that's if you see garganega from Australia, which is kinda unusual. Anyway, who cares? It tastes great and delivers value and deliciousness in spades.

SPECIAL VALUE - Crunchy, easygoing youngster that brings all the characters we like to see in fiano, including a smart price. Subtle, delicate aromas of spring in honeysuckle, citrus, green apple and pear. Texturally, a delight, finishing brisk and clean in crunchy acidity. A versatile wine at the table, too. JENI PORT, Halliday Wine Companion 

Steve Webber is a long-time winemaking friend of Prince Wine Store and someone whose work we’ve admired for many years. Along with his talented team, Steve Webber has an uncanny ability to punch out genuinely stellar wines at ridiculously affordable prices—a rare and much-valued skill.

We’ve always been impressed, particularly by his Euro-inspired wines built around classic Italian varietals. They’re consistently authentic and true to their origins, yet unmistakably Australian in feel—balanced, characterful and a joy to drink. This is a great example of that.

There’s not much more you could ask for in a classically styled rosé – from the brilliant rose gold hue, the lifted aromatics, textural slosh of the palate and crisply vibrant and pithily detailed conclusion, with rose and orange blossom scents and good-time feelings trailing oh-so long. The vintage has gifted depth and intensity without overt weight. It’s complex, too. Pink grapefruit, musk, rosy florals, cinnamon, fresh pomegranate, watermelon, cut fennel and blood orange all feature in a headily lifted expression that is a pure joy to drink. It’s full throttle but deliciously so. Yes, I say! (95) MARCUS ELLIS, Halliday Wine Companion

We think it's the love of grenache that brings us and Mark together.  It could also be that he just makes really good wine too. Whatever it is we are fans and have been following him since he left Turkey Flat to explore his own label. We are yet to be disappointed with anything we have seen, including some Southern Rhone gear that is pretty impressive. What can we say? A real talent here and one worth seeking out.

From a cool climate vineyard which falls just outside the Macedon GI in Kilmore, winemaker Matt Harrop has been making pinot from this site since 2013. Before that Giant Steps used to take the grapes.
This is a spicy cool climate pinot notes of maraschino cherries, rosemary and a telltale central Victorian bush spice (our local version of garrigue) welcome you. Structure and a finely tuned palate unfurl, a cage of tannins ribs around its core of spiced red and black cherries leaving a wake of silty tannins on the finish. It hits well above its price point and charms with its deliciousness. A perennial pinot at my house – great value here. GABRIELLE POY

Watch out, Côte d'Or! The Australians are coming. JANCIS ROBINSON

Matt Harrop (and family) have some runs on the board with this solo project label (Silent Way). MIKE BENNIE, winefront.com

Matt is a bit of an underrated talent in our minds. An incredibly thoughtful winemaker who brings an easy-going nature combined with understated complexity to the wines he makes. Wherever he goes, there is a little bit of magic he brings with him. Silent Way is a personal project going on 10+ years now and is always some of the best value pinot coming out of the country.

Grenache sourced from the Barossa's west (Moppa), north (Ebenezer) and east (Bethany). I really like this nimble, beautifully detailed little grenache. It's packed with ripe raspberry, red apple, redcurrant and cranberry fruit tones with exotic spice, gingerbread, earth, red plum and rose petals. Light, airy and sapid with a glorious, saliva-inducing sour cherry acid line and an effortless drinkability. (95) DAVE BROOKES, Halliday Wine Companion

Some people love a bit of reduction in their reds; other don’t. I’m in the former camp, and this wine plays that angle beautifully. Raspberries and rust, throws of dry spice, twiggy herb notes, licorice and that smoky, earthen, slightly burnt reductive character. The flavours come both tense and sheeted; it’s a light-ish wine of juicy, taut finesse. Pricing is spot on. This is deliciously good. Personally, in an ideal world, I’d be up to my neck in this. CAMPBELL MATTINSON, The Wine Front 

We love it when Pete Schell comes to visit. Incredible insight into Barossa and the wine world in general, an incredible depth of knowledge, and a gun talent. I doubt there are many who know the wines of the Barossa the way he does, and his portfolio encompasses the full gamut of styles from classical to modern. He does it all, and he does it with aplomb.

SPECIA VALUE - Mark Walpole loves sangiovese and the feeling is reciprocated. This is a mighty strong follow-up to the '23, fairly bristling in cherry-fruited and aromatic brightness and crunch in youth, with an underlying brooding quality that says, 'just wait.' A smidge (5%) of the Tuscan colorino red grape adds to the iridescence of the cherry red, bright hues. Aromas rise in wild raspberries, red cherries, plum, florals, cumin, fennel seed, red earth and spice. The palate is nicely weighted, with brisk acid crunch, and is both upbeat and alive in spiced cherry, red fruits and an underlying savouriness of Campari, dried herbs, licorice and mineral earthiness. Potential? You bet! (96) JAMES HALLIDAY'S WINE COMPANION 

Has plenty of Sangiovese character, with red cherry and strawberry, a little lemon zest and dried herb, almond, a nutty and rosy perfume. It's medium-bodied, quite sappy and lively, a little grainy grip to tannin, juicy red fruits, again that lightly nutty thing, with a bright finish of good length. Excellent wine. A great food style too. GARY WALSH, The Wine Front

Mark Walpole should be a national treasure. His work in some of Australia's best vineyards and with the country's greatest winemakers is a testament to his skill, knowledge, and high regard he is held in. He's also one of the kindest, nicest people you will meet. An all-round champion of the Australian wine industry.